Star Wars: The Last Hope
by christos200
Summary: This story is AU. It is my own version of Star Wars IV. It has many new characters, even though the majority of original characters appear too. Luke Skywalker is the only hope of freedom in a galaxy ruled tyrannically by Darth Venius. Will he be able to defeat the Sith and fulfil his destiny?
1. Chapter 1

This is my own version of Star Wars IV. This story is AU. This means that it deviates a lot from the original story. I also use ideas from other non-Star Wars works of fiction. Any reviews are appreciated.

 **Star Wars**

 **The Last Hope**

 _The galaxy is in turmoil. Darth Venius, the nephew and successor of Emperor Palpatine, is ruling the Galactic Empire with an iron grip. With the assistance of Darth Vader, the infamous Sith Lord, and Admiral Piet, Admiral of the Imperial Fleet, he terrorizes the entire galaxy._

 _Only a ragtag group of rebels led by Princess Leia Organa offer hope to the enslaved peoples of the galaxy. Rebel spaceships, striking from hidden bases, attack Imperial targets and battle against the gruelling tyranny of the Sith. Darth Venius, furious with the rebels, sends his troops all over the galaxy in an attempt to exterminate them._

 _Amidst this conflict, on the far reaches of the galaxy in the desert, desolate and harsh planet of Tatooine, a man may be the last hope of the rebels and, indeed, the entire galaxy..._

 **Chapter 1**

The sand was boiling hot. The two suns of Tatooine were shining brightly on the clear blue sky. The heat was too much this time of the day, even for the locals. It was midday, the part of the day when the heat of Tatooine was most unbearable. A lone man was the only one walking in this hot and dry desert. He was a charming young man with short blonde hair, blue eyes, a fair and handsome face and well-proportioned features. He was relative tall and slim and was wearing long white robe and trousers. The only non-handsome parts of his appearance were his big ears, so large that they touched his shoulders and that he could even see them. The man's name was Luke. Luke Skywalker.

Luke would not usually walk in the desert at that time of the day, but his uncle sent him on an errand to buy some power converters. You see, Luke had forgotten to buy them the morning because he met an old friend on Jaar's Cantina, where he had gone with his friends, and so his uncle sent him at this hour of the day to buy the converters. His uncle, whose name was Owen, hoped that the gruelling task of walking under the hot sun in the desert would teach Luke a good lesson of not ignoring his tasks and that the next time he would not be distracted from his job.

"Blast it!", Luke said. "It's damn hot. If only I had bought in the morning the power converters instead of talking with James…."

Suddenly, a roar was heard. At once, Luke pulled out his blaster and looked around. His face was ashen white and he was shivering. He was afraid and was right to do so: in order to complete his uncle's task earlier, he chose the shortest route to Toshii Station, the one going through the 'Desert of Skeletons'. The other route, the one used by the majority of people, was too long for Luke: he would have to walk two hours under the hot midday sun. The shorter route he had taken would lead him to Toshii Station in just forty minutes. Although Luke knew that this path was more dangerous, he decided to take the risk because he wanted to finish his task as soon as possible. He had a party to go to, and so he wanted to purchase the converters before afternoon.

"Was I wrong in taking this path?", he thought. "Damn, I am always impatient. I knew that this path is dangerous. I live here; I am not a foreigner that can be fooled. And yet I took this path. Well, this Mara chick made me lose my mind. She told me that she would dance with me in the party and that's why I did not want to be a moment late. But still, I shouldn't have acted like an idiot and gone through this desert. What if the Sand People attack me?"

Call the devil and the devil comes, they say. And it is true. As if out of nowhere, tens of Sand People charge out from the top of nearby hills and fire with their muskets at Luke. Luke is lucky to evade enemy shots by falling on the ground first and then taking cover behind a rock. Luke was sweating and he almost fainted due to his fear. But, somehow, he managed to regain his calm and fired at the Sand People with his blaster. His shots were rapid but as he was firing at random and was not targeting the enemy (he did not have the experience to do so, anyway), only two of the Sand People were shot: the first on the head, and thus he was instantly killed, and the second on his chest, causing him to fall on the ground and to shout in pain.

The Sand People were steadily approaching the rock where Luke was taking cover. If he had a grenade, maybe he could hold on. But Luke had only his blaster and a knife. So, his only choices were to fire some more shots with his blaster or make a desperate all out charge with his knife at the Sand People. None of those two had even the slightest chance of success: the Sand People were approaching too rapidly for Luke to shot them and were too many to be killed by his knife.

"I surrender!", he shouted. He knew that most Sand People did not understand Basic language, but this was his only hope. It did not work: the Sand People roared and continued to charge forward. So Luke made his decision.

"You bastards, I'll meet you in hell!", he said and charged forward with his knife. Miraculously, he managed to dodge three musket shots and stab one Sandman with his knife: his short knife penetrated deep into the Sandman's chest. He then pulled it out of the chest. His knife was coloured green with the Sandman's blood, which was disgusting. Luke then at once used his knife to slice the throat of a second Sandman and then stab the left cheek of a third Sandman. However, this time a musket shot hit his left shoulder, causing him to bleed. Luke let out a cry and the knife fell from his hand. He was doomed.

Then, he heard a deafening sound and all of the Sand People were sent flying in all directions, as if a gust of wind had hit them. Many of them hit rocks, causing them to be dismembered. Others fell on the ground so hard that all of their bones were crushed. The few who were not hurt that badly ran away as fast as they could when they got up.

"What happened?", a puzzled Luke asked himself. He could not hide his excitement at what he had seen. His curiosity about what hit the Sand People overshadowed even his relief of being saved from certain death.

He then turned around and saw her: Her long black hair was shining, her lips were redder than the fire, her skin was almost as white as snow, her face was so beautiful that it dazzled anyone who looked at her, her cheeks emanated the rosy glow that the sunset clouds reflect, her eyes shone like the clear and piercing light of the moon. She was wearing a brown Jedi robe. Luke was dazzled.

"You are?", he asked her. She did not reply. Luke asked the same question again and again, but only after about five minutes did she reply. Her voice was more pleasant than that of even the best singers. "My name is Laura.", she said. She then approached him and touched his injured left shoulder. He hands were softer than anything that had ever touched him. Her fragrance was intoxicating and had the smell of flowers. As soon as she touched him, his shoulder was instantly healed. Luke could not believe this: it was as if an angel had come down from the sky to save him.

"Luke!"

That voice was certainly not that of Laura. That voice belonged to Uncle Owen.

"Get up Luke!"

Luke looked around but could not see his uncle. "Uncle!", he said. "Where are you? I can't see you."

"Luke!"

Suddenly, everything around him turned black. He could not see anything but the pitch black darkness. Laura, the sand, the hills: everything disappeared. "Where am I?!", Luke roared. This time, Luke was even more terrified than he had been when he had to face the Sand People. The Sand People were a known enemy. But this darkness was supernatural. Luke wished this was a nightmare from which he would soon wake up: for if this was real, he knew that he was doomed. Then, he heard a "boom" sound and thousands of bright starts appeared all over him and surrounded him. It was as if he was in space. He had always wanted to be in space. He hoped that he could be admitted in the Pilots' Academy but his uncle would not allow him to join the Academy. His feelings were mixed: he was both scared but also puzzled and excited about those stars. Had his dream become a reality? Was he in space?

"Luke!"

Luke recognized this voice: it was Laura's. He turned around and saw her looking at him. Her eyes were full of tears.

"Why are you crying?", Luke asked. "Where am I?"

Laura did not reply. Instead she ran at Luke and hugged him. Luke could feel her in his arms. He hugged her too. This was the sweetest moment of his life. But, as mysteriously she had appeared, she suddenly vanished.

"Where are you?!"

Luke got no answer. He decided to touch one of the millions of small stars surrounding him, mostly out of curiosity. As soon as his finger touched one of the stars, darkness was replaced by light. Everything went white and the light was so strong that Luke was forced to close his eyes. All the while, he was listening to different voice, both male and female, spelling names: "Han Solo" "Leia Organa" "Darth Vader" "Yoda" "Laura" "Ben Kenobi".

He then heard a creepy and deep voice saying: "Death is the solution to all problems. You are a problem. You must die!"

Luke opened his eyes and found himself in the midst of an icy plateau. It was snowing. It was colder than any place he had ever been to. He was wearing a dark Jedi robe and was holding on his hands a strange laser sword. He did not know that this sword was a blue lightsaber. Suddenly, he heard a roar. He turned around and used his lightsaber to deflect a lightning bold that a man dressed in a black Jedi robe had sent at him. A black hood was covering the man's face, so Luke could not see who he was.

The mysterious man somersaulted and attacked Luke with his red lightsaber. Luke, instinctively, blocked the man's lightsaber with his own lightsaber. As the two lightsabers clashed, a loud sound was heard and although Luke managed to block the enemy attack, he was pushed back. Then, he heard Laura's voice: "Empty your mind. Do not think of the opponent. Do not wonder where you are. Do not recall past memories. Empty your mind. Focus on the Force."

"What is this Force?", Luke thought. He had never heard of the Force before nor did he have any experience with using it. Yet, he followed Laura's advice and emptied his mind. At the same time, the mysterious man charged forward with his lightsaber, aiming at Luke's chest. Just as he was going to stab Luke, he roared and the mysterious man was pushed back.

"Wow! What is this?", Luke wondered.

"It's called Force Push.", Laura replied.

Luke looked around, trying to find where Laura was. But she was nowhere to be seen. He could hear her voice in his mind, but he could not see her. "How is this possible?", he asked himself. But, after going through all this series of events, nothing seemed weird to him anymore.

Luke saw the mysterious man getting up and once again charging at him. He tried to use again this "Force Push", but to no avail. The lightsaber almost cut him down but he blocked it with his own. The two lightsabers clashed again and again. Luke had no experience of using swords, yet he could somehow use the lightsaber like a true Jedi Master. Eventually, after twelve lightsaber clashes, the mysterious man used the force to push back Luke. Luke fell hard on the icy ground and felt like his back was broken. But as the man approached, a scream was heard and then everything went white. The lightness forced Luke to close his eyes. When he opened them, he was once again back to the dark place where he was surrounded by stars.

"How can I get home?", he cried out. "I don't care about the party! I just want to go home! I shall never to go to parties again and I shall never go through the desert!"

Yet, no one was replying. He felt lone, terribly lone. Darkness. No sound at all. Only himself and the millions of stars. After waiting for about half an hour, Luke decided to touch another of the stars. As soon as he touched it, the usual light appeared. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, he was walking on the slope of a volcano. Besides him, there were tens of rivers of lava. The ground he was walking upon was unstable. When he looked down, he realized why: he was walking on top of thousands of corpses. Many of the bodies were dismembered. Sometimes, he would walk on top of legs, arms, even intestines.

Suddenly, a creepy voice said, "This is the ancient battlefield of Karran. 7,000 years ago, the ancient Sith Empire tried to force the old Republic to capitulate here, by attempting to destroy in a decisive battle the forces of Jedi Master Marak, who was stationed here. The battle was a terrible stalemate and millions died on this planet. This ancient battlefield is now a huge graveyard. It is where you shall die too!"

Almost out of nowhere, the mysterious man from the icy planet appeared in this planet too and charged at Luke with his lightsaber. Luke, surprised to see him, grabbed one of the dead bodies and used it as a shield to defend from the lightsaber. Indeed, the lightsaber cut in half the dead body but Luke was able to escape with only a slight scratch across his chest. At once, he activated his lightsaber and the two lightsabers clashed once again. Although Luke put up a ferocious resistance, the mysterious man was able to slash thrice Luke's chest and twice Luke's back. He then kicked him, causing to roll down the slope. As he was rolling down, other corpses were rolling down with him. He eventually hit his back on a rock and the corpses that were rolling down alongside him fell on him with terrifying force. His back was all scratched and bleeding while his chest was badly hurt too. He was about to faint when he saw Laura appear and force push back the mysterious man. She then rushed towards him and touched him. As soon as she touched him, he instantly felt better.

"Close your eyes.", Laura said. Luke closed his eyes. He then heard his uncle's voice: "Get up Luke!".

When Luke opened his eyes, he saw Uncle Owen, a middle-aged bearded man, looking at him. Luke was wearing his white robe and was lying on his bed. It was all a dream. A bad dream.

"Good morning, uncle.", Luke said, delighted to be back home.

"Good morning you say?!", his uncle angrily retorted. "It's almost midday. Do you know how many hours were you sleeping?"

"No….."

"Well, get up! Go get me some power converters from Toshii Station."

Luke was dumbfounded. "Did I just prophesize the future?", he thought. "In my dream too I go in midday to buy power converters from Toshii Station."

But this time Luke would be prepared. As in his dream, he would go thought the "Desert of Skeletons", but this time he would bring two blasters, three knifes, a few grenades and binoculars with him. He was determined to find out if his dream was real and who Laura was and where could he find her again.

 _Above Korriban, Darth Venius' flagship, Arrow_

Darth Venius' personal room on his flagship, the huge destroyer 'Arrow', was much different from what most would expect that a Sith Lord would have. It actually resembled more of a garden, with tens of different and exotic plants. Those plants were kept to 'life' by a machine that simulated the atmosphere of a garden inside the room. That's why the room had such a fragrance, which resembled the smell of flowers.

In the middle of this 'garden', there was a bed made out of red wild flowers and plants. Darth Venius was lying on it, wearing a beautiful red dress made out of silk. Darth Venius had long black hair that was shining and was somewhat feminine looking. His stature was tall. His smile was broad and his white teeth shone. Darth Venius' smile radiated a sense of happiness across the room. Besides him, there were eight women, all playing Zither, a musical stringed instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat body.

But despite the fact that those women's music was the most beautiful in the entire galaxy, Darth Venius did not seem to be even taking note of them. Instead, he was looking at Admiral Piet, who was the Admiral of the Imperial Fleet despite his young age, being only thirty-two years old: most likely due to his "relationship" with Darth Venius. Most people thought that he was a Sith student. They could not have guessed that Piet was actually Darth Venius' lover. But except for Piet and those women, no one else had ever seen Darth Venius dressed like that. Most people always saw him wearing a dark cloak and a mask that was covering his entire face. And when people did see him wearing more coloured dresses and being without a mask, they would not recognize him as Darth Venius.

"Am I beautiful in that dress?", Darth Venius asked, laughing.

"Very much, my Lord.", Piet replied.

"Good. I have a task for you: inform Lord Vader that the threat I have detected is in Tatooine. He is a young man with short blonde hair and whose name is Luke. Ask him to send a legion of Stormtroopers to arrest him."

"I will, my Lord. But… many people might fit with your description. How would Lord Vader recognize which one is the one you are talking about?"

"The Force is strong with this young man. So, Lord Vader should have no problem finding him. If this young man does not die, he may prove to be the one that the ancient Jedi prophecy is talking about. I used my 'Dream Mirror' skill to test him, and he is more powerful than anyone would imagine that a rookie would be. If he learns the way of the Force, he will destroy us. So, he must be killed at any cost!"

"My Lord, your 'Dream Mirror' skill is too dangerous. You should not use it, lest you are trapped in someone else's dream forever. That's the reason that the Ancient Sith banned their students from learning this skill and why this technique was lost for thousands of years until you discovered it."

Darth Venius laughed. "Indeed, my dear. But it is the only way I can locate and even kill the few remaining force users across this vast galaxy, so we can get rid once and for all from the Jedi. Now, go and inform Lord Vader. There is no time to waste!"


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the comments. Hope you will like this chapter too.

 **Chapter 2**

 _Above Tatooine, Darth Vader's flagship, Executor_

Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, was on the bridge of his flagship, Executor, the largest 'Star Destroyer' type starship that the Empire had ever constructed. His heavy breathing instilled fear to the crew of the starship. He was overlooking Tatooine. It had been a long time since he had last been there.

A moustached Imperial Officer of tall stature approached Vader. "My Lord, what are your orders?"

"Admiral Nerv, the man we are looking for is in the North-Western part of Tatooine. He should be in one of the settlements surrounding Mos Eisley."

Admiral Nerv was quite nervous and was shivering. He knew that the slightest failure could lead to his strangulation. "But…sire, how can you be so sure about it?"

"I can feel it through the Force. The Force is strong with that young man. I can sense him. He is there!"

"Then I shall do as you command, Lord Vader!"

After bowing slightly before Vader, Admiral Nerv turned to one of his officers and commanded: "Sent five legions of Stormtroopers to North-Western Tatooine to search for this Luke. Do not hesitate to use force if needed!"

 _Tatooine, 'Desert of Skeletons'_

If one was asked to describe Tatooine in two words, most likely he would say "endless sand". Indeed, Tatooine was a harsh world for one to live. Even more at midday, when the suns were heating the surface of Tatooine more than any other time of the day. Luke was walking in the desert, this time for real. He was walking up and down the sandhills of the "Desert of Skeletons", travelling across this vast sea of sand and heat. His white robe was dirtied by the sand. He was sweating and was short of breath, as the task of marching under the hot suns was quite difficult even for the locals.

The only thing that gave him the strength to march forward was the thought of Laura. Even though he had only seen her in his dream, he somehow felt connected to her. "Maybe I'm just crazy!", he exclaimed and sighed. Going through a dangerous and deadly desert in search of a girl you've only seen in your dreams is indeed quite a crazy thing to do. Especially when that desert is home to the Sand People.

To be fair, the Sand People rarely attacked human settlements in Tatooine. They mostly resided deep into the desert, herding desert animals like bantha. But whenever some unlucky fellow dared to walk into the desert, they would not miss the chance to kill him and steal his equipment. Luke was prepared for them: he had blasters, knifes and grenades. But even so, it was not wise to provoke the Sand People.

Luke regularly used his binoculars to look for any Sand People's ambush, but so far he could see none. But he knew that the most dangerous part of his journey was the "Valley of Death", a narrow valley which was the perfect site for ambushes. After walking for about ten to twelve minutes, Luke eventually reached this valley. This valley reminded him the attack by the Sand People in his dream. "Let's hope I'll be luckier this time.", he said and marched forward.

As he was walking, he heard a weird sound. He turned around but saw nothing except for sand and rocks. So, he continued his march. A few moments later, he once again heard this sound. This time, Luke pulled out his blaster. And he was right to do so: suddenly, tens of roaring Sand People charged from all directions. They had been hiding behind rocks and preparing for the right time to attack their victim.

Luke threw a plasma grenade on his right, causing a huge explosion which must have killed many Sand People. He then turned on his left and began firing with his blaster. Although his shots were not accurate, they were rapid and deadly. Some Sand People fired at Luke with their muskets but, just as in his dream, he took cover behind a rock. Even so, the Sand People were too many for Luke to face them all in his own. "If my dream girl does not come to save me, I'm surely dead this time", Luke thought as he was firing at the Sand People with his blaster.

Then, to Luke's surprise and relief, his dream proved to be prophesising: Laura, Luke's dream girl, appeared and with her green lightsaber began slaughtering the Sand People, killing them one after the other. Eventually, the Sand People were forced to retreat. Luke was dumbfounded and his face paled: you don't get to see the girl of your dreams saving you from certain death every day.

"Laura!", Luke exclaimed and rushed towards her. But Laura did not seem to share Luke's happiness. Instead, she looked perplexed.

"How did you know my name?", she asked him. "I've never seen you before."

Luke was puzzled at what to do next. Was this the woman he had seen in his dream or was she someone else? And if she was not the woman of his dream, how did she look exactly like her and had the same name as she had? But if she was Laura from his dream, why did she not recognize him?

"I… I…", Luke was stuttering. "Well, this seems a bit weird, but I believe that I have seen you before in one of my dreams."

This situation was somewhat awkward for Luke, as you can imagine.

Laura grinned. "Well, I've heard many silly excuses, but I've never heard anything like this before."

Luke rubbed his forehead in agony. "Well…I…it's somewhat difficult to… Blast it! I don't know what to say."

Laura could not help but laugh hearing Luke's stuttering. "It's alright. You can explain it to me later."

But, suddenly, Laura's expression changed. "I feel that the force is strong with you. What is your name?"

"Luke. Luke Skywalker."

Upon hearing this name, Laura could not hide her excitement. "You are the one Ben Kenobi was talking about?"

"Ben Kenobi?". Luke had never heard that name before. "Who is he?"

"He was the teacher of your father."

"He knew my father?"

"Yes. They were both Jedi Knights."

Luke laughed. "Maybe you are mistaken. My father was a pilot for a mining company. He was no Jedi nor famous."

"Wasn't your father named Anakin?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

"Ben Kenobi told me about him. He was a Jedi Knight under his tutelage, but he was killed by Darth Vader."

Luke sighed. "I always thought he was just a pilot. I wonder why my uncle never told me about him. Anyway, who is this Ben Kenobi you are always talking about?"

Luke could notice tears in Laura's eyes upon hearing this question. "He was my teacher.", she answered. "I was an orphan and he not only took care of me, but also taught me the ways of the Force. He said that I am one of the few force-sensitive people in this galaxy. Ben Kenobi was powerful warrior but was also just and righteous. On his deathbed, he asked me to find the son of his old student, that is you, and train him in the way of the Force. That's why I came from Nar Shaddaa, where I and Ben Kenobi were residing, to this planet."

Luke smiled. "I'm sorry, but I cannot become a Jedi. I would like to learn more about this 'Force', but my uncle will not allow me to leave this place. Anyway, I have to buy some power converters and I am already late, so-"

Before Luke could finish, he was interrupted. "You should at least allow me to meet with your uncle and try to persuade him. Please. It is the last wish of my Master."

"Alright."

 _Mos Eisley, Cantina_

Laughter. Jazz music. Smoking. Good looking women. All those things could be found in the cantina of Mos Eisley. Most people coming here were enjoying themselves. Sons of rich men who had nothing better to do than drink lots of alcohol with their father's money, hardworking people who wanted to relax after a hard day of work, husbands who wanted to talk with their friends and escape from their wives, young lovers who wanted to meet. A few others were drinking in order to forget their past, maybe some woman that had rejected them or a failed opportunity.

In a table on the left corner of the cantina, Han Solo and Chewbacca were drinking Alderaan wine. Alderaan wine was quite strong and few people could drink it without getting drunk. Han was one of those few people. Han was in his thirties. He had shaggy brown hair and was wearing black trousers, a white shirt and a dark jacket. Chewbacca was a Wookie and was certainly not someone you would want to be in trouble with.

"Why would a young girl like Laura want to come to this desolate place?", Han wondered.

Chewbacca roared.

"Yes, Chewie, I agree with you. It is not our business to enquire what she is doing. As long as she pays the money she promised us, I could not care less about what she is doing. By the way, since Jabba is on this planet, we could use this occasion to explain him our situation. I am sure that he will understand: I am one of his best pilots after all."

Han was in desperate need of money. He was a smuggler working for the infamous crime lord Jabba the Hutt. But when he was smuggling spice a few months ago in a remote region of the galaxy, he was unexpectedly intercepted by Imperial starships and, in order to escape, he was forced to throw the spice out of his ship, the Millennium Falcon, so it would be lighter and faster. Of course, this displeased Jabba the Hutt, who set a bounty of Han's head. Fortunately for Han, in the planet of Nar Shaddaa he met a young woman, Laura, who asked him to take her to Tatooine. In exchange, she paid him two thousands credits in advance and promised to pay him fifteen thousand more credits when she had completed her task.

Han sipped his wine and was about to leave when a green Rodian entered the cantina and approached his table. He sat on a chair opposite to Han and said in his alien language: "Going somewhere, Solo?"

Han smirked. "Yes, Greedo. As a matter of fact, I was just going to see your boss. Tell Jabba that I've got his money."

Greedo pulled his blaster and aimed at Han. "If you give it to me, I might forget I found you."

"I don't have it with me…."

His hand under the table, Han quietly drew his blaster.

"Jabba is through with you! He may only take your ship-"

Before Greedo could finish his sentence, Han interrupted him: "Over my dead body!"

Greedo laughed. "That's the idea. I've been looking forward to killing you for a long time.'

"Yes, I'll bet you have!"

Just as Greedo was about to fire, Han revealed his hidden blaster and fired first. Greedo was shot on the head and was instantly killed. Han laughed. He turned to Chewie and said, "C'mon old buddy, let's go!". He then tossed some coins to the bartender and left.

 _Above Tatooine, Darth Vader's flagship, Executor_

Darth Vader was meditating in his personal room. Around him several objects were orbiting, from chairs to his lightsaber, all being moved by the Force. Tatooine was the place where Vader, formerly named Anakin, was born and raised. He still had vivid memories of this place, even thought it had been many years since he had last come to this place. Now, all of this belonged to the past. He was no longer Anakin, but Vader: more a machine than a man.

Just as he was thinking about all those memories from the past, a servant announced the entry of Admiral Nerv. Upon entering the room, Nerv, who was grinning, said: "Lord Vader, I've got great news from Officer Sam. His squad found where that Luke is residing. Although I am not one hundred percent sure that he is the man we are looking for, he is the only one so far who matches His Imperial Majesty's description."

"Have you killed him?!", Vader furiously asked. He was impatient and tired of Nerv's long windedness.

"Well….no. He was not home at that time, but we know where he might be. You see, as I was informed, our troops found in his house his uncle and aunt and after torturing them in all possible ways, they found out that this Luke guy had gone to buy some power converters. So, it is only a matter of time before we find out where he is. Unfortunately, his uncle and aunt both died due to the torture."

"You better find him or you will be the one killed, Admiral Nerv!"

"I will, my Lord!"

Nerv walked out of the room, his face ashen white. He had to capture this Luke or he would suffer the same fate as his predecessors.

 _Tatooine_

After walking for some time, Luke and Laura finally reached Luke's house. Thankfully for them, it was afternoon by now and the weather was more tolerable. There was even a light gust of wind, which cooled them and made this journey less harsh. But when they approached Luke's house, suddenly Stormtroopers appeared and began firing shots at them.

"What the?!", Luke exclaimed. His jaw dropped. He could not believe that Imperial troops were firing at him. He had never had any trouble with the Empire and so he could not understand why those troopers were trying to kill him.

The blaster shots of the Stormtroopers would have certainly killed Luke had it not been for Laura, who turned on her lightsaber and used it to deflect the enemy shots. She then used the force to push them back, sending them flying on the house's walls. As the Stormtroopers hit the house's walls, a "crack" sound was heard and most of them had their bones crushed by the collision. The few who survived tried to run away, but Laura somersaulted and landed before them. She then used her lightsaber to kill them before they could even fire at her.

At the same time, Luke rushed into the house. His face was pale and he cursed himself. He was searching everywhere for his uncle and aunt. Eventually he found them: they were dead in the kitchen. Their bodies were terribly scarred, a sign of how much they were tortured by the Stormtroopers. Luke ground his teeth. "No!", he growled. "It's all my fault."

Laura, hearing Luke's voice, rushed into the room. When she saw the dead bodies and Luke crying, she sighed. "I understand how you feel, but there's nothing you could have done, Luke.", she said, trying to comfort him. "If you had been here, you would have been killed too. Now, if you come with me and train as a Jedi, you may be able to take revenge."

Luke nodded, "I want to come with you. There's nothing for me here now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _Tatooine, Mos Eisley_

Luke and Laura arrived at Mos Eisley. Mos Eisley was the largest settlement of Tatooine and the major space station of the planet. There, one could find from some of the best pilots in the galaxy to convicts and petty thugs. On the outskirts of the city, Stormtroopers were garrisoned and monitored every passenger. Usually the garrison was loose, but Vader had sent even more men to guard the city's entrance and had given orders to the Stormtroopers to be stricter.

So, when Luke and Laura arrived at the city, five Stormtroopers stopped them. One of them, the commanding officer, walked forward and said, "State the reason you are coming here and present me your Identification Documents!"

Laura waved her hand and replied, "There is not reason to check our Identification Documents. Move forward."

The Stormtrooper, as if he was hypnotized, repeated those words: "There is not reason to check your Identification Documents. Move forward!"

The Stormtroopers thus allowed Luke and Laura to enter the city. Of course, Luke was amazed by this. "Wow, how did you persuade that officer to allow us to pass?"

Laura grinned. "Through the Force. Using the Force, one can impose his will on the weak-minded. This officer was not that smart, so I was able to hypnotize him."

When they walked into the streets of the city, Luke's jaw dropped in amazement of how many alien species were walking in that city. One could see from hammerheads Ithorians to small and annoying Jawas. Of course, except for aliens, there were humans too. Unfortunately for Luke, two thugs, both humans, set their eyes on him.

They approached with menacing look on their faces and one of them, an ugly looking bearded guy, said: "My friend doesn't like you."

"I'm sorry.", Luke apologized.

"I don't like you either. Watch yourself! I have death sentence in twelve systems!"

As Luke was about to walk away, the thug attempted to grab him. Luke instinctively moved to the left, dodging the attack.

"Damn!", the man growled and pulled his blaster. Just as he was about to shot, Laura turned on her lightsaber and with a swift move cut off the man's hand.

"Next time, think twice before attacking other people.", Laura said to them.

The two thugs, utterly terrified, ran away as fast as they could. Some of the people passing by who had witnessed the fight were cheering. Those two thugs had assaulted many people before but no one had ever dared to confront them.

Luke was smiling. "Looks like you've become a heroine to them.", he said.

But Laura was less pleased by this turn of events. "We are hunted by the Imperials, so it is not wise to stir up trouble. We should get out of this planet as fast as possible."

 _Docking Bay 94_

Han Solo and Chewbacca walked into Docking Bay 94 where their starship, the Millennium Falcon, was stationed. There, they found some unexpected guests: Jabba the Hutt and his bodyguards. Jabba looked like a slimy fat worm, but he was one of the most influential criminal lords in the entire galaxy.

"Jabba, how're you doing?", Han said.

"Han, why did you fry poor Greedo like that? Where would I be if every pilot who smuggled for me dumped their shipment at the first sight of an Imperial starship? It's not good for business."

Han pointed his finger at Jabba and replied, "If you've got something to say to me, come see me yourself. Do not send your goons! And I will soon get you the money. I've made a deal which shall allow me to pay you back, plus a little extra. I just need some more time."

Although Jabba was furious with Han, he knew that Han was one of the best pilots he had ever employed. So, he decided to give him another chance: "Han, my boy, if you disappoint me again, I'll put a price on your head so large you won't be able to go near a civilized system for the rest of your life!"

 _Above Korriban, Darth Venius' flagship, Arrow_

Darth Venius was training in his "Training Room". This time, he was dressed with a black robe and cloak while a hood and a dark mask hid his face. His lightsaber turned on, he was practising a strange and unorthodox sword style: he was attacking furiously, with almost superhuman speed. His sword style was aggressive and almost reckless. As he was always on the attack, there were many gaps and openings that could prove fatal to him, but Darth Venius was unbothered by them. Instead, he was always on the attack, fighting viciously. This way, the opponent would be too bothered trying to defend himself and would not be able to exploit those gaps in Darth Venius' defense. After practising for some time, he ordered: "Bring him in!".

Two Stormtroopers pushed a man wearing torn clothes inside the room: he was a convict brought from Imperial prisons. Darth Venius was using convicts in his training, so as to test his skill on living subjects. The poor man was utterly terrified and his face was pale. He was on his knees, crying and asking for mercy: "Please, spare me great Lord. I shall be loyal to you for all of my life. I shall-"

Before he could finish, Darth Venius had already used the force to pull him over to him. When he was close, Darth Venius with a swift move penetrated the man's skull with the fingers of his right hand. When he pulled his fingers out of the man's skull, he was already dead.

Darth Venius laughed, his laugh being horrific and creepy. "My 'Five Deadly Claws' technique is perfect! Bring another man in!"

Once again, the Stormtroopers pushed into the room a convict. Before he could have a chance to beg for mercy, Darth Venius electrified him: he send lightning bolts at him, literally burning him alive. Even the Stormtroopers who were guarding the room were scared, just by hearing the convict's screams as he was being electrified. All of them were shivering.

At that moment, Admiral Piet entered the room.

"I've told you that I don't want anyone to interrupt me when I am training!", Darth Venius furiously said.

Piet calmly replied, "I bring good news my Lord. Your cousin, Prince Char, has managed to locate where the stolen plans of the Imperial bases are. He is currently pursuing a rebel vessel above the planet of Ishoko. It seems that among the passengers of this vessel is Princess Leia Organa and according to our spies, she is the one who has the plans."

"Good. Soon, those rebels shall be crushed once and for all!"

 _Above Ishoko_

Above the jungle world of Ishoko, a 'Star Destroyer' Imperial starship chases a rebel vessel. The Star Destroyer fires at the rebel vessel and a huge explosion rocks the ship. Droids C-3PO, a human sized yellow protocol droid, and R2-D2, a small astromech droid, struggled to keep their footing as the starship was shaken by the hit.

"Oh my! We are doomed! There is not escape for the princess this time!", C-3PO exclaimed.

The Star Destroyer's tractor beam slowly pulled the vessel into its dock. All of the rebel troops rushed to the front door, preparing for the boarding by Imperial troops. Suddenly, a huge explosion was heard and the Stormtroopers charged into the rebel vessel, firing at the rebels with their blasters. The rebels were throwing grenades at the incoming troops and firing back with rapid and accurate shots, killing off many of the enemy troops. But the Stormtroopers were just too many and eventually overrun the rebel resistance. With the rebels in retreat, Prince Char boarded the ship.

Prince Char was the cousin of Darth Venius, but he was neither terrifying nor a powerful warrior like his cousin. He was a young man, in his mid twenties. He was tall, with the looks of a nobleman: he had long black hair, a fair and handsome face and blue eyes. He was wearing a grey officer's suit, which gave him an aura of authority.

Unlike his cousin, he was neither a Sith nor knew much about fighting. Instead, he had a fame of being a womanizer. He was spending most of his day partying and fooling around, until his cousin had enough of him and forced him to become an officer in the Imperial army six months ago. Although he had spend almost half a year into the Imperial army, this was his first real battle mission.

While Prince Char was boarding the ship, a young woman who was wearing a white robe inserted a disk into R2-D2. She then ran away. C-3PO, who had been looking for his comrade, finally found R2-D2 and could not help but say with a weary tone: "R2,D2, I've been looking for you. Where are you going?"

R2-D2 just made a bleep sound and moved forward, C-3PO following closely behind, trying to keep up with the fast little droid. The two of them marched to the escape pods. R2-D2 approached one of the pods and made again a bleep sound.

C-3PO shouted, "Hey, you're not permitted in there! Get out before somebody sees you!"

"Bleep weeble bloop!"

C-3PO scratched his head. "Secret mission?", he wondered. "What are you talking about? I am not getting in-"

Suddenly, a Stormtrooper appeared and began firing with his blaster. R2-D2 fired back with its laser, shooting the Stormtrooper on the head and killing him. Seeing this, C-3PO decided to follow R2-D2 into the escape pod instead of waiting for his destruction. The pod ejected and sped towards the jungle planet below.

Back into the ship, the Stormtroopers brought Princess Leia to Prince Char. Leia was actually the woman dressed in white who had given the disk to R2-D2. She was a tall young woman with thick dark brown hair pulled up in a braid and had a commanding presence, despite of her young age.

"Princess Leia, you are even more beautiful than I had imagined.", Char said, with a smug smile.

"Prince Char, you are as disgusting as rumours say."

Although one of the Stormtroopers was going to hit Leia for that remark, Char stopped him. Instead of being angry, he laughed at her.

"When you get angry, you become cuter you know…"

Leia flushed and decided to change the subject: "What is your excuse for boarding my ship? The Imperial Senate is not-"

"Don't play games with me, sweetheart. Our spies have found out that you have the stolen plans detailing the Imperial military bases. You are part of the rebel alliance and a traitor."

He then turned to one of the Stormtroopers and commanded him: "Take her to the cells!"

 _Tatooine, Mos Eisley_

Meanwhile, back in Tatooine, the two thugs that had attacked Luke and Laura were walking in the streets of Mos Eisley. As they were walking, they saw a Stormtrooper holding a poster. On it, a young man was depicted who looked to them a lot like Luke. Admiral Nerv, on commands of Darth Vader, had ordered the Stormtroopers to look around for Luke in Mos Eisley and ask the locals if they had seen him. The two thugs approached the Stormtrooper and the one whose hand had been cut off said: "Hey, officer, I've seen this guy."

"Are you sure? If you are giving us false information, we shall hunt you down and kill you!", the troop threatened.

Although the thug was furious with how the troop treated him, he was even more furious with Luke and so he hid his anger and politely said, "I am one hundred percent sure that I've seen him. He must be heading to the docks."

The Stormtrooper at once called his superior and said, "The target is heading to the docks. Sent all men there! Hurry!"

 _Docking Bay 94_

Meanwhile, Luke and Laura made their way to the hangar. Luke was less than impressed with Han's starship, the Millennium Falcon. It was, indeed, not an impressive starship.

"What a piece of junk!", Luke exclaimed. He then turned to Laura: "You came all the way from Nar Shaadda to here with this pile of junk?"

Before Laura could reply, Han, who had approached them, said, "She'll make point-five past light speed. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid!"

Han then asked Laura, "Why did you not notify me that we would begin our journey now? I have to-"

Knowing that the Stormtroopers would sooner or later find out about them, Laura could not wait for Han's explanation. "We've got to get going right now! The Stormtroopers are approaching?"

Han froze. "What? You never told me of Stormtroopers! The deal was that I would take you first to Tatooine and then to Alderaan where this Senator Bail Organa would pay me. You never mentioned to me that you had trouble with Stormtroopers."

But Han was forced to stop his rant when he heard Chewbacca's roar and saw tens of Stormtroopers charging at them and firing with their blasters. The leading Imperial officer shouted, "Stop that ship! Blast them!".

Chewbacca unlocked the outer hatch of the Millennium Falcon and lowered the ramp while Han was firing with his blaster at the incoming Stormtroopers and Laura was pushing them back using the force. First Luke, then Laura and Chewbacca rushed on board. Last was Han, who first threw a grenade at the enemy troops, killing more than a dozens of them.

Han ran to the cockpit, which had seats for a pilot and a copilot, with two additional seats behind them. Chewbacca sat on the copilot's seat, Luke and Laura on the two back seats while Han sat on the pilot's seat, pulled a lever, pushed some buttons and launched the ship. Thus, the ship took off under heavy fire.

As it entered the orbit, the Millennium Falcon encountered three Star Destroyers, which immediately began firing at the ship. The starship managed to dodge the enemy fire, as Han was an experienced pilot but to his surprise, after bypassing the three Star Destroyers, he saw Vader's flagship, the Executor, which was larger than all three Star Destroyers combined.

Han ran finger through his hair and raised his eyebrow in amazement. "I've never seen such a large starship before."

"Can you escape from it?", Laura asked.

Han licked his suddenly dry lips. "Don't know, but we've got to try to outrun it. We don't have much of a choice". He swallowed.

Luke was even more worried. He had never been to space before. "Didn't you say that this ship can go into light speed?"

"It can, kid, but if we don't set the coordinates right, we may crush on an asteroid or travel to an unknown part of the galaxy!"

The turrets of the Executor were heavier than those of any other Imperial starship. So, when they fired at the Millennium Falcon, a sharp jolt shook the ship and all of them, Han, Luke, Laura and Chewbacca, were dumped from their seats. Han quickly got up and cursing himself settled as fast as he could in the pilot's seat.

Luke also got up and rushed to Laura. Although he had a sharp pain on his left side and bruises on his face, he was too worried for Laura to bother about his own injuries.

"Are you alright?", he frantically asked.

Laura's eyes opened groggily. She coughed slightly, then managed a thin smile. "Don't worry, I am alright. You are far more injured than I am."

At that moment, both of them heard Han shouting: "Chewie, go look if the engine is alright!"

Han piloted skilfully, a look of full concentration set on his face. He knew that if the Millennium Falcon was hit again by the Executor's turrets, it would be the end of them.

Chewbacca roared and Han said to Luke and Laura, "Well, it seems that the engine is mostly okay, but the coordinator seems to be a bit damaged. But we shall go to light speed soon."

Luke's face paled. "But you've said that if the coordinates are not set right, we may crush on an asteroid or travel somewhere else than our destination!"

Han wiped a hand over his face to clear some of the cold sweat off his forehead and then replied, "Look kid, we don't have many choices to choose from. So either we take the risk or this huge Imperial starship shall fry us and our little adventure will come to a halt!"

Laura consented. "He is right. If we don't take this risk, we are surely dead."

Han pulled a lever and the ship lurched forward. "We've made it!", Han announced and laughed. But less than four minutes later, the Millennium Falcon exited light speed.

"What is it again?", Luke asked.

"Well, it seems that the hyperdrive of the ship has been damaged too…."

"What does this means?"

"That we can't use light speed. So, we'll have to land on one of the nearby planets to fix the ship. It seems that there is one large planet near to our location."

Han sped forward the Millennium Falcon, which flew towards that mysterious planet. Unknown to them was the fact that the planet they encountered was Ishoko, the planet where C-3PO and R2-D2 had landed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 _Ishoko_

The Millenium Falcon landed on the jungle world of Ishoko. The landing was rough, as the there was no landing ground and the ship had to land among the trees of the jungle. When the ship reached the ground, it was shaken but as Han was an experienced pilot, he managed to land it. Han unlocked the outer hatch of the Millennium Falcon and lowered the ramp. Then the group proceeded to walk outside the ship.

The sight they encountered was truly majestic: There was a cool breeze. The flowers' fragrance filled the air, the birds were chirping, singing a melody unknown to man, a melody that could compete with those of the best human singers. In the dense forest, a myriad of leaves glistened brightly.

"Where are we?", Luke asked.

"Don't know.", Han replied. "But I've never been here."

"Can you fix the ship?", Laura wondered

"Maybe.", Han said. "I am not sure about it, but I'll have to try to fix."

Saying this, Han rushed back to the ship with Chewie, leaving Luke and Laura alone, in order to try to fix the ship. Laura remained silent for a moment and observed the place: it was quite, calm and without other people to bother them. It was the perfect place for a Jedi to train. Calmness was one of the basic elements a Jedi would need in his training.

"Luke, this is a good place to begin your training. You should begin learning the basics of the Force.", she said.

Luke was, of course, excited. He would at last learn how to command the Force. Smiling, he replied: "What will be the first lesson?"

"First, you must learn what the Force is and how to feel it.", Laura said. "The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. In order to feel it, you must empty your mind and leave behind all thoughts. Forget all our current troubles. Close your eyes. Hear the sound of the wind. Smell the fragrance of flowers. Relax your muscles. Breath slowly."

Luke tried to relax. He could feel the cool breeze and hear the chirping of the birds. Then, for the first time, he could feel the Force. Objects around him, like fallen leaves and branches, were orbiting around him. He had finally gained a basic command over the Force.

Seeing this, Laura exclaimed, "Great. Now, use the Force to pick stones and place them one on top of the other."

Luke was about to open his eyes to see where the stones were located, but Laura stopped him. "Your eyes can deceive you. Use the Force to sense where the stones are."

Luke sighed. 'How am I going to force pull those stones if I don't even know where they are?', he thought.

"If you do not believe it, you will not be able to do it.", Laura said, understanding what Luke was thinking of. "If I can do it, you can do that too."

Luke emptied his mind of all thoughts. Suddenly, he could sense a tremor in the Force and feel the stones: one was besides a tree that was on his right. Another stone was situated on his left, behind a bush. Luke used the force to elevate this stone and move it to his right, placing it on top of the other stone.

Before he could move another stone, Luke heard Han's voice: "Hey, the hyperdrive is far too damaged. We've got to look around for help, if there is any intelligent creature on this desolate planet."

Luke opened his eyes and saw Han sweating and totally exhausted. While Laura and Luke were training, Han was desperately trying to fix the hyperdrive, only to fail again and again and even had his hand electrified a bit due to an accident. Thankfully, it did not burn his hand but made him realize that it was pointless to try and fix the hyperdrive. They would most likely need a new power converter to fix it.

"Where do you think we can find the parts we need to fix the hyperdrive?", Laura wondered. "Do you see any shop around? Are we just going to wander around?"

"Do you have any better idea?", Han replied.

"No. So, we will have to proceed with your plan, it seems. I just hope that we will not regret this."

Luke, Han and Laura moved forward, deep into the forest, while Chewbacca stayed behind to guard the ship.

 _IG-25 Space Military Station, Cell 21_

IG-25 was one of the newest space military stations of the Empire. It was a huge military station, having the size of a large asteroid. It had taken the Empire many years and resources to build it. It was protected by a series of powerful ion cannons. In IG-25, except for stationing armed troops and spaceships, the Empire also jailed political enemies.

Leia was kept in Cell 21. When Prince Char walked into the room, three Stormtroopers and one officer were interrogating Leia.

"Sir, she is not revealing us where the plans are!", the officer said with an angry look. His face was red like a tomato and he was obviously quite furious that Leia would not reveal anything to them. "Do you want me to use torture?"

"No.", Char replied. "Leave her to me."

"As you command, sir!"

The Officer and the troops left the room at once. Char then approached Leia and smiling he said, "Do you want to drink something, dear? I happen to have some of the best wines in the entire galaxy."

Leia ground her teeth. "Firstly, don't call me 'dear'. Secondly, what is your plan Char? Do you think that I shall fall for you and reveal you the plans."

Char burst in laughter. "Well, that's exactly my plan. You know, I guess, how many women have fallen for me."

"I'm not like other women, Prince."

"That's what I like about you. The more difficult it is to acquire something, the more the pleasure one gets from conquering it."

 _Ishoko_

Luke, Han and Laura were walking alongside the tall trees and bushes of Ishoko. Except for some animals, they could detect no human or other intelligent species which could help them fix the ship. All of them where quite nervous, having never been before on this place and fearing that someone could be looking for them or that they would encounter some strange beasts.

Han pulled out his blaster and pointed around.

"What are you doing?", Laura asked.

"I don't know why, but I feel like someone is following us and watching us."

Luke nervously looked around. Seeing no one, he somewhat calmed down. He took a deep breath, but then suddenly saw something shining behind a bush and heard the sound of footsteps.

"Something is moving behind that bush!", he screamed, his face ashen white due to fear.

"Are you sure, kid?", Han asked.

Luke nodded and Han moved towards the bush, pointing his blaster at it and ready to fire if needed.

"Don't shoot!", a robotic voice said. From the bush, C-3PO and R2-D2 emerged. After their escape pod had crushed on this remote planet, the two droids had been wandering around searching for a ship to escape from this place. Seeing Han, Luke and Laura, they decided to follow them around while hiding, as they were not sure whether they were Imperial sympathizers or not.

R2-D2 made a bleep sound but C-3PO said, "Do not worry. They do not look like Imperials to me. You don't need to prepare your laser."

"Who are you?", Luke asked.

"I am C-3PO, human – cyborg relations and this is my counterpart, R2-D2. We crushed here after an Imperial Star Destroyer attacked our ship."

"Same here!", Han interrupted.

"Then, we are all in the same team it seems.", C-3PO said.

Suddenly, they all heard Laura saying, "Come here!".

All of them rushed towards her location and saw what she had discovered: ancient ruins in the middle of this dark forest. Before them was a half-demolished small stone temple, quite old by the looks of it, possibly even ancient. On the stony remains of the temple, there were inscribed words in an unknown language.

"What does it say?", Luke asked C-3PO.

"This language seems to be an ancient version of Zhiaxillang language. It is one of the least known languages of the galaxy and one of the most difficult to learn. And the fact that this is an ancient version of this languages makes it even more difficult and-"

"Shut up and read the inscription!", Han interrupted him, annoyed by C-3PO's long windiness.

"Alright, alright, I shall read the inscription. I believe it says, 'King Zhang unified all Five Kingdoms of Ishoko under his sole rule and established peace and order. This temple was built by him to honour Goddess Ashura for aiding him in crushing his enemies and restoring peace to the land'. It seems that this was written about five thousand years ago."

"Wow!". Luke could not hide his amazement at this ancient temple they discovered.

"What Kingdom?", Han said. "I can only see trees and animals. There are no humans or other species on this place."

"Maybe they are residing in some other part of the planet?", Laura asked.

"Maybe. Hope we can find someone, otherwise we shall remain stuck in this damn planet for the rest of our life!"

As they were about to leave behind them the temple, they suddenly heard the sound of footsteps. They turned around and saw a young man approaching them, coming out of the ruins of the temple. The young man had long black hair, fine, manly physique and handsome, well-proportioned features. He was wearing a blue gown made from the finest silk and was holding a lance on his right hand.

"Who the hell are you?", Han asked.

The man did not reply but instead continued walking silently towards them. He was emitting an aura of coolness and calmness, but the lack of expressions in his face made him even scarier.

"Is he a ghost?", Luke whispered.

"Don't be silly!", Han replied. "Ghost or not, he will not be able to face my blaster."

He then shouted again at the man, "Who are you?!". Seeing that he was ignoring him, Han pointed his blaster at him, ready to fire if the man proved dangerous. But the mysterious man waved his hand and Han was pushed back, falling on the ground.

"He can use the Force?", Laura exclaimed. "Are you a Jedi?"

The man simply smiled and with a calm voice said, "It's been a long time since someone last came here."

"How long?", Luke asked.

"About…three hundred years ago. I still remember those visitors." The last part of this sentence was said slowly and revealed great sadness.

Luke burst into laughter. "Are you saying that you are more than three hundred years old?"

The man ignored Luke's laughter. "Five hundred forty six years old, to be precise. Just because you humans live a short amount of time, it does not mean that we Hajians also live a short life. We can live up to one thousand years."

"How is that even possible?", Han, having gotten up, said. "I believe this is just nonsense."

"You can choose not to believe me, of course. But this is the truth. We Hajians were many once, but our constant wars, which became more and more destructive, eventually killed off the majority of us. A thousand years ago there were still countless cities and now there are only three underground cities while the trees have consumed everything and turned the planet into a giant forest. I am Yang Jiang. I belong to the Yang Clan, one of the most prestigious Clans of Ishoko."

"Can you help us fix our ship?", Luke asked.

Jiang sighed. "My compatriots have collected some parts of ships which have crushed on this planet. Unfortunately, I cannot go back to our underground city, which is far from here anyway. I… have been exiled from my home city by my family."

"Why is that?"

Luke could see tears in Jiang's eyes. Whatever the reason for which he was exiled, it must have hurt him very much.

"It has to do with the last visitors who came on this planet, three hundred years ago. Among them was a beautiful young woman. She was a Jedi. I helped her and she taught me the ways of the Force. I fell madly in love with her. She loved me too, despite the fact that Jedi were not allowed to fall in love. Unfortunately, my family was too prestigious to accept that their son could marry an off-worlder. So they exiled me. At first, it did not mind me. But my wife was not a Hajian and so she could not live as long as we do. When she died, I was all alone and exiled for ever from my home city. So I made this ancient temple my home and remained here, meditating and practising my lance skills. I had nothing else to do."

"You sacrificed everything for the woman you loved. Your story is so sad.", Laura said. "But at least you found your true love and lived happy with her, for a short time at least. If only I could find my true love too."

Luke felt somewhat relieved to know that Laura was not in love with someone yet. He did not know why he had this feeling. Was he beginning to like her? Han's reaction was different. He was clenching his teeth and swearing. "So, you cannot lead us to you city and thus we will never find a way to get out of this damn planet! Why of all Hajians we have to meet the exiled one?"

R2-D2 made a bleep sound and C-3PO said: "RR2-D2 says that he can fix the ship"

"Yeah, right. I could not fix it and he will?!"

"Why not try it?", Luke said. "We do not have much of a choice."

"Okay, let's try it. Goodbye Mr. Jisomething. It was pleasant to meet you, well not really to be honest, but we've got to leave this damn forest."

"May I come with you?", Jiang asked. "I've always wanted to leave this place, but since my wife, no one else had come here, so I've never had the chance to do so."

"Of course you can come with us!", Laura replied, smiling.

But Han was less happy to have another companion. He whispered, "Originally it was just a girl, then this kid, then the two droids and now this weird guy. If I knew about this, I would have never accepted this job."

When they all returned to the ship, R2-D2 immediately rushed to the hyperdrive of the Millennium Falcon. It seems that the power converter had a problem, but there was no need to get a new one. R2-D2 used his laser and other tools he had to fix it and C-3PO went to the cockpit to inform Han: "Sir, it seems that the hyperdrive has been fixed."

"What the hell? I was trying to fix it so many hours and I could not achieve anything and this little droid fixed in less than a quarter of an hour?"

"You can complain later.", Luke commented. "Now, get us out of here."

Han pressed a few buttons, pulled a lever and the Millennium Falcon took off. "Yeeehaaa!", an excited Han shouted. "We've made it! We are out of this damn forest!"

As soon as the ship left the planet, R2-D2 made a bleep sound.

"Princess? Kenobi? What are you talking about?", C-3PO wondered.

Upon hearing that name, Laura asked R2-D2: "Kenobi is the name of my Master. How do you know him?"

Instead of a reply, R2-D2 showed a recording of Princess Leia: "General Kenobi, my ship has fallen under attack and so I have not been able to complete my task of going to Nar Shaddaa to ask for your help. I have placed information vital for the survival of the rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. You must see it delivered safely to Alderaan , to my father. Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."

"Great.", Luke exclaimed. "Since we are already heading towards Alderaan, we can bring that R2 unit to her father. But who is she?"

"Leia Organa, daughter of Bail Organa.", Laura replied. "My Master talked of her and her father. Her father was his friend and he told me to seek his help if it was ever needed. That's why I was heading with you to Alderaan in the first place. Now we have another reason to go there and meet him. This droid must be brought to him safely."


	5. Chapter 5

For those wondering why the updates are slower, I have university exams this month so the updating will be slower. However, after this month, the story will be updated faster.

 **Chapter 5**

 _Darth Vader's flagship, Executor_

Darth Vader was on the bridge of his starship and gazing at the stars, all of them shining brightly and bringing light to the vast darkness of the galaxy. Although Darth Vader was a man of action, he enjoyed sometimes just gazing at space and remaining silent. But this moment of calmness was not going to last much.

Admiral Nerv approached Vader and, after saluting him, said, "Lord Vader, the Emperor wants to communicate with you. You should go to the Communications Room."

"Of course."

Darth Vader walked slowly towards the Communications Room. When he entered the room, he bowed slightly before the hologram generator and the Emperor's hologram appeared.

"Lord Vader, I have a mission for you.", Darth Venius said. "I want you to get Princess Leia from Space Station IG-25 and interrogate her by yourself. My cousin, Prince Char, has so far been unable to get her to reveal where the stolen plans are. He is too weak to use torture on her, so you will have to do it! Do not disappoint me."

His last words had a sinister tone in them and were menacing.

"I will not, your Imperial Highness. I shall use any methods avaible to get the plans from her."

"Good. Very good. Do what you must, Lord Vader."

The hologram closed and Vader got up and headed to the bridge.

Smiling, Admiral Nerv asked, "Is everything alright, my Lord?"

"Set course for space station IG-25, Admiral. I want to arrive there as soon as possible!"

 _IG-25 Space Military Station, Cell 21_

Char was in Cell 21. He was far more composed and serious than the last time he had interrogated Leia. He had been informed that his cousin was sending Darth Vader to interrogate Leia and he knew that his cousin would be most displeased with him, as he had failed to get the location of stolen plans. Others might have used torture, but Char was not keen on doing that. He was in the army for only half a year and so he was not as brutal as other Imperial military leaders.

"Princess, don't push your luck. I may not have tortured you cause I don't like torturing people but Lord Vader is not as hesitant as I am in using torture.", Char said. "He will be coming here at any moment, so better reveal where the plans are."

Instead of being scared, Leia just smiled.

"So the Emperor decided he had enough with you womanizing with me and decided to send a real interrogator."

Char laughed. "It seems you never lose your humour, do you?"

"To be honest, you are not such a scum as the other Imperial officers. Too bad that you have as your cousin that despicable tyrant."

Char smirked. "Are you revealing your true feelings about me now?"

"What?!", she shouted, blushing. "You are imagining things. I would prefer a Wookie to you."

"Too bad there is no Wookie here. But, as you said, I am not as bad as you thought."

"Well, I was comparing you to the other Imperial officers….."

Before Char could reply, an officer entered the room.

"What is it?!", an enraged Char asked.

"Sir, sorry for interrupting but Lord Vader is here."

"Here?!". Char was surprised that Vader had arrived so fast. "Go prepare the Stormtroopers for inspection. I will be coming with you soon."

He then turned to Leia. "Well, Princess, as I told you I am the womanizer, not Vader. Vader is more of a machine than a man and he can use every kind of torture to succeed in getting what he wants."

"Don't be so sure Prince. No matter what he does, I shall not tell him where the plans are."

 _IG-25 Space Military Station, Hangar_

Prince Char and hundreds of Stormtroopers were amassed in the hangar, forming tens of columns of troops and awaiting for the arrival of Darth Vader. Soon, the alarm ringed, the hangar shields were deactivated and the personal starship of Vader landed on the hangar. The ship's ramp lowered and Vader walked slowly out of ship, followed by four elite Stormtroopers, all equipped with the best long range blasters and having the sharpest laser knifes on their belts.

Char, with a fake smile on his face, greeted Vader: "Greetings, Lord Vader. I assume that your trip was pleasant. Would you like to rest before-"

Vader interrupted Char and coldly said, "Bring here the Princess. I will be taking her into my flagship, the Executor."

"Aren't you going to interrogate her here?"

"No. I want her to come on my ship for I will show her an alternative type of persuasion. I also want you to come with me."

Char's face paled and he shivered. He knew that he had annoyed his cousin by not being able to persuade Leia to reveal the stolen plans, but he was not sure why would his cousin sent him to Vader. Was he going to be demoted?

"Well, I'll do as you command."

"And fast! One third of the Imperial fleet awaits us."

Char was curious why Vader would need such a huge armada of battle ships. Was he going to attack a rebel base? Anyway, he had to carry out his orders and so he rushed to Cell 21 along with a few Stormtroopers.

"Where is Vader?", Leia asked. "Is he not coming?"

"Well, he wants you to come to his flagship."

"That means that I will have to say goodbye to you. Too bad that I will not be able to enjoy your pleasant company anymore."

The last sentence was clearly sarcastic, but smirking Char replied, "I have good news for you. I shall be coming too to Vader's flagship."

 _Korriban, Tomb of Darth Ignacios_

Darth Venius walked slowly in the ancient walkway leading to the room where the Sarcophagus of the ancient Sith Lord Darth Ignacios was located. Dust and dirt filled the floor and walls of the ancient building. It was dark and cold and most people would be too scared to walk into those ancient chambers, for the atmosphere was chilling. But Darth Venius had walked into this ancient tomb more than once. It was there where he discovered the teachings of the Ancient Sith and became more powerful than Darth Sidious, his uncle, ever was. It was also in those ancient chambers that he was practising the most strange and powerful sword techniques, to keep them secret from anyone else.

Darth Venius waved his hand and the door before him opened. He walked into the room that was the final resting place of Darth Ignacios. Darth Ignacios was the Dark Lord of the Sith 10,000 years ago, at the age of the Old Republic. He was a Jedi apprentice who was sent to Korriban to hunt down a Sith Lord. But, after finding the Sith Lord, instead of killing him he became his apprentice. When he was taught all that could be taught about the dark side of the Force, he killed his Master and proclaimed himself Dark Lord of the Sith. He then formed an alliance with the enemies of the Republic and launched a brutal campaign of conquest which would lead to millions of deaths and three years of brutal war. He died before the end of the war, of natural causes, and was buried in this tomb along with a manual detailing all of his knowledge of the dark side of the Force. His apprentice, who became the new Dark Lord of the Sith, was not as powerful and cunning as Darth Ignacios was and he was eventually slain by two Jedi Knights.

No one knew where the tomb of Darth Ignacios was, until one day Darth Venius discovered it by accident. He had been searching for ancient graves in Korriban, as he was not Emperor yet. He was the only one who walked into this tomb, not wanting to share the secrets of the tomb with anyone. When he discovered the manual of Darth Ignacios, he studied it and learned all of the Dark Lord's knowledge about the Force and lightsaber combat. He was then able to slay his uncle, Darth Sidious, something unknown to everyone except for him. With his uncle dead, due to natural causes according to the official announcement, he took the Imperial throne.

Now, all alone into the Sarcophagus room, he began practising his 'Dark Snake Swordplay'. His lightsaber moved with almost superhuman speed. His attacks were all lethal and fast. Although his swordplay looked more like an elegant sword dance, in fact his moves were all precise and deadly. He combined elegance with speed and softness with lethalness. No one, no matter how skilled or perceptive, could tell the next move, for not only were the moves extremely fast but also seemingly illogical and random, attacking from all directions and even changing the direction of the attack in a single move.

'When the rebels are crushed', he thought, 'I will kill Vader and so I will be the only Sith Lord in the Empire.'

 _Above Alderaan, Darth Vader's flagship, Executor_

Princess Leia was brought to the bridge of the Executor by Char and three Stormtroopers. There, Vader was waiting for her, gazing at the planet of Alderaan, home planet of Leia. Almost one third of the Imperial fleet was amassed there and had taken position for bombardment.

"Darth Vader, if you think that you can get me to reveal to you where the plans, you are to be proved wrong."

"We shall see. You see that fleet?"

Although she tried to look brave and appear calm, seeing all those battleships above her home world made her shiver.

"I see."

"Well, that fleet shall bombard to dust Alderaan if you do not tell me the location of the secret plans and of the rebel base!"

"No! Alderaan is a peaceful planet. We have no weapons. You can't possibly…"

"You prefer another target? A military target? I grow tired asking this. Where is the Rebel base and where are the plans?!"

"They are both on Dantooine."

Vader then turned to Char, "You see Prince how easily she was persuaded."

Char just nervously smiled. "Now, what shall we do?"

"Proceed with the plan. Admiral Nerv!"

Nerv at once rushed before Vader. "Yes, my Lord. What is your command?"

"Wipe out this pathetic planet from the face of galaxy!"

"No!", Leia screamed. "We had a deal."

"I do not negotiate with rebel scums. The bombardment shall proceed as planned. This shall send a message to all who dare defy the Emperor's will.

"But Lord Vader, this may cause more hate for the Empire and give the moral high ground to the rebels.", Char said.

"Prince, I am in command here. Not you. Your cousin is already most displeased with you, so don't push your luck!"

The Imperial fleet began bombarding Alderaan. The huge ion and lase cannons of the starships had terrific firepower and caused huge explosions to rock the entire planet. All of the major cities of Alderaan were shaken by the explosion and fire swept through everything, turning the once populous and majestic cities into dust. Before Leia's eyes, her home world was being destroyed and she knew that her parents had died too in this bombardment. Although she had tried to remain calm, now she could not hold back her tears any longer. Char too was somewhat shaken by this. He knew of course of the terror tactics the Empire used to keep planets in line, but the Empire had never before bombarded an entire planet into ruins.

 _Millennium Falcon, cockpit_

Han Solo was in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon and waiting for the arrival of the ship to Alderaan when Luke walked in the cockpit.

"How much more time will it take for us to reach Alderaan?", Luke wondered.

Before Han could reply, a ringing sound was heard.

"It seems, kid, that we arrived."

Han pulled a lever and the Millennium Falcon was out of lightspeed. But to Han's surprise, before him he saw hundreds of Imperial Star Destroyers. Both his and Luke's face paled and Chewbacca roared.

"What the hell!", Han exclaimed. "We get out of lightspeed and encounter all those Star Destroyers? What the hell are they doing here?"

Before Han could swear for his bad luck, the Millennium Falcon was hit by a laser cannon. Thankfully the hit was not accurate and the shields of the ship made sure that the damage was not irreversible, but the ship was shaken. Laura, Jiang and C-3PO rushed to the cockpit.

"Oh my!", C-3PO exclaimed, seeing all of the Star Destroyers. "The chances of surviving a direct encounter with such a massive Imperial fleet are thirty million to one."

"Never tell me the odds!", Han replied. "Chewie old buddy, prepare the guns. They aren't going to take me down without a fight to remember."

 _Darth Vader's flagship, Executor_

Admiral Nerv approached Vader and said, "Sire, it seems that our Star Destroyers have encountered a starship which was trying to get to Alderaan. It seems to be the one that escaped from Mos Eisley. Should we destroy it?"

"No!", Vader replied. "Tell the commanders not to fire. Instead, we shall use the tractor beam to get them here. Luke is too valuable to kill. Force-users are rare nowadays and if he could turn to the Dark Side, it would be to the advantage of the Empire."

"As you command, my Lord!"

Back in the Millennium Falcon, Han was surprised to see that the Star Destroyers had stopped firing at the ship.

"Weird, why did they stop firing at us?", Han wondered.

"I believe it is better to escape this place instead of wondering about what happened.", Jiang replied.

"You are right. Chewie, lock the auxiliary power. "

But the Millennium Falcon began to shake violently.

"Why are we moving towards this huge Star Destroyer?!", Luke shouted.

"We're caught in a tractor beam and it's pulling us in!", Han replied. "But they are not going to get me without a fight!"

"You cant't win. But there are alternatives to fighting.", Jiang said.

Thus, the Millennium Falcon was pulled into the hangar of Darth Vader's flagship, the Executor.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 _Darth Vader's flagship, Executor_

As soon as the Millennium Falcon was pulled into the hangar of the Executor, hundreds of Stormtroopers rushed to the hangar and surrounded the starship, waiting for Darth Vader's arrival. A strike team of ten Stormtroopers charged into the Millennium Falcon, searching for any crew. When the Stormtroopers came out of the starship, they found Darth Vader.

Their leader approached the Dark Lord and said, "Lord Vader, there's no one on board. According to the log, the crew abandoned ship right after takeoff."

Vader clenched his fists in anger. Had Luke once again escaped from him? "I want every part of the ship checked!", he shouted at the officer. "I sense something. A disturbance in the Force."

Vader turned quickly and left while the officer ordered more of his men to search the ship. Yet, they found no other clue of where the crew had gone. Once the Stormtroopers walked out of the ship, the floor panels covering the ship's smuggling compartments slid back.

"This is ridiculous!", Han exclaimed. "Even if I could take off, I'd never get past the tractor beam!"

"Leave that to me.", Jiang replied. "As I told you, I have Jedi training. So, I will be able to find a way to disable the tractor beam."

Chewbacca roared.

"That's right, Chewie.", Han said. He then turned to Jiang. "How are we going to get out of the ship?"

"I've got an idea.", Laura said. She then explained her plan.

"Great idea!", Luke noted. "Let's do it."

Luke and Han made as much noise as possible. The two Stormtroopers guarding the Millennium Falcon heard of the noise and they entered to investigate. Suddenly, there was a quick round of blaster fire and then silence.

In the docking bay control room, an officer tried to contact the soldiers guarding the Millennium Falcon: "TK-421. Why aren't you at your post?"

From the control room, the officer saw the trooper emerging from the ship and tapping him helmet to indicate a faulty transmitter. On his way to check the problem, the officer was confronted by something totally unexpected: a Stormtrooper, a Wookie, a guy with a lance and a girl.

The Wookie grabbed the officer and threw him at the control panel with such force, that his back was broken. Hearing the noise, five Stormtroopers from a nearby corridor rushed to the control room and began firing with their blasters. Han, dressed in Stormtrooper uniform, fired at them and was able to kill one Stormtrooper, by shooting him on the head. Jiang rushed forward, dodging enemy fire and moving with superhuman speed, and with his lance penetrated the chest of one Stormtrooper and then used the force to choke another trooper. Laura deflected blaster fire with her lightsaber and easily cut down the two remaining Stormtroopers.

At that moment, Luke, also dressed in Stormtrooper uniform, arrived with C-3PO and R2-D2. "With all the noise you've been making, I wonder why the entire starship has not heard about us!", he exclaimed.

"Let them come!", Han replied. "I prefer fighting to hiding."

"Let's get inside the control room and we can talk about this later.", Laura interrupted.

The group quickly walked in the control room and locked the door behind them.

"Plug in.", Jiang said to R2-D2. "We should be able to intercept the entire Imperial computer network from here."

R2-D2 interfaced with the computer and C-3PO translated: "The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in several locations. A power loss at one of them terminals will allow the ship to leave."

"I must go", Jiang said.

"I want to go with you!", Laura replied.

"Your destiny lies down a different path from mine."

"But going alone is too dangerous."

Jiang laughed. "I have already lived 546 years, how much longer can one hope to live? After all, with my wife dead, all those years I have lived in pain and loneliness."

With those words, Jiang left the control room. As soon as he left the room, R2-D2 made a bleep sound and C-3PO said, "R2-D2 says 'I've found her!' and keeps repeating 'She's here!'."

"The Princess is here?!", Luke shouted.

"She must be Leia, the daughter of my Master's friend, Bail Organa.", Laura replied. "We must think of a way to save her."

"You must hurry.", C-3PO interrupted. "She is at level five, detention block AA-23. I'm afraid she's scheduled to be terminated."

"Oh no!", Luke exclaimed. "We've got to do something!"

"I am not going anywhere!", Han said. "I've already done more than what I was paid to do."

"They are going to execute her!"

"Better her than me!"

Luke bit his lips in anger, clearly disappointed that Han would not help them, but Laura approached Han and said, "She's rich…powerful… if you were to rescue her, the reward would be more wealth than you can imagine."

"I don't know…. I can imagine quite a bit."

"You will get it!"

"I'd better! What's the plan?"

"I have one in mind.", Luke said.

 _Level 5, detention block AA-23_

Char was in Leia's cell. He had talked with Vader only a moment ago, and the Dark Lord had ordered Leia's execution. As she had revealed where the stolen plans and the rebel base were, he had no use of her anymore and keeping her alive was too dangerous, as the Rebel Alliance would surely try to rescue her.

Although Char was a cousin of the Emperor and a womanizer, still he had taken a liking to Leia while she was his prisoner and so decided to visit her one last time to give her a final farewell.

Upon entering the room, Char coughed and, after clearing his throat, said, "Well, it seems Princess that we will not meet again. Vader has ordered your execution."

Leia was silent all that time. The destruction of her home world and the death of her parents had shaken her.

"I tried to persuade him to delay your execution, but he would not hear me.", Char continued. "So, I came to bid farewell. I… oh well, I am not good at partings, so that is all I am going to say. Goodbye."

Char rushed out of the room, not waiting for Leia to reply, as he could not bear to see her any longer.

 _Docking Bay Control Room_

Luke finished telling Han and Laura his plan.

"This is just crazy!", Han exclaimed. "Barging into the detention block pretending to be Stormtroopers and that Chewie is our prisoner? But since it the only plan we've got, I guess there is not much choice."

"In order to prevent Vader from sending whole battalions of troops at you once you are in the detention block, I shall try to distract them.", Laura said. "I will make an attack on another part of the ship and try to cause as much destruction as possible so that the Stormtroopers come at me."

"That is too risky!", Luke said. "You could get killed."

Laura smiled. "I am a quite good warrior, as you know, so no need to worry about me. Wish me good luck."

"Good luck."

Laura left the room and Luke was standing still for a moment, silently gazing at her. His forehead was sweating and his heart was beating fast. He was far too worried about her to think of anything else.

"Hey kid!", Han shouted. "Don't just stand there. She will return, don't worry. She is a Jedi after all."

"I hope so…"

"Anyway, even if she does not return, I know some sexy dancers on Nar Shaddaa who would make you forget about her, so have no worries."

Luke gave Han an angry look and he just smiled. "Alright, bad joke.", Han admitted. "But we need to get going."

"Excuse me, sir, but what shall we do?", C-3PO asked Luke.

"Stay here."

"And hope they don't have blasters.", Han added.

Still disguised as Stormtroopers, Luke and Han, with Chewbacca posing as their prisoner, made their way to the detention block. As soon as they stepped into the detention block, an officer, accompanied by three Stormtroopers, walked towards them.

The officer asked, "Where are you taking this….thing?"

"Prisoner transfer from Block 1138.", Luke replied.

"I wasn't notified! I'll have to clear it."

As the detention centre guards moved in to take custody, Chewbacca grabbed the officer's throat with his hands and strangled him. With Luke and Han joining the fray, all hell broke loose in the detention block. Luke and Han were firing with their blasters at the three Stormtroopers, Luke hitting one on the shoulder and Han another on the head, instantly killing him. The third Stormtrooper took cover behind a computer panel and exchanged fire while the one with the injured shoulder tried too to take cover, only to be shot down by Luke's accurate shot on his back.

The last Stormtrooper kept firing at the intruders, making good use of his cover. "I'll charge at him!", Han shouted and, dodging enemy fire, charged at the computer panel, somersaulted and landed behind the Stormtrooper. He then crushed his blaster rifle on the trooper's helmet, causing him to lose his consciousness.

With the detention block under their control, Han checked one of the computer panels to see in which cell the Princess was in.

"Here it is.", he said. "Cell 2187. You go get her!"

 _Armory Room_

Meanwhile, Laura had made her way to the Armory Room. She had to cause as much damage as possible in order to divert Imperial attention so that the Empire would send soldiers to her and not to the detention block. Using her lightsaber, she sliced the door, surprising the Stormtroopers who were guarding the room.

The Stormtroopers at once opened fire at Laura, but she used her lightsaber to deflect the blaster laser. She then waved her hand, using the force to push back the troopers. As she walked deeper into the room, she found more Stormtroopers. They all fired at her with their automatic blaster, which were firing much faster than ordinary blasters. One of the troopers, holding a rocket launcher, fired at Laura, but she used the Force to turn back the rocket at the enemy squad. A deafening sound was heard and the enemy troops were sent flying at all directions and many of them were mutilated by the explosion.

Some more Stormtroopers rushed to her direction, but she used her lightsaber to cut them down to the last man. The only surviving Stormtrooper in the armory room was a guy who had hid behind a large box containing weapons. Hidden from the Jedi, he sent a distress signal to his superiors, calling for reinforcements.

 _Level 5, detention block AA-23_

While Laura was killing Stormtroopers, Luke was in Leia's cell. He found her lying on her bed, waiting for her execution. Upon seeing him, she smiled and asked, "Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?"

At first, Luke did not get it. But he then remembered that he was wearing the Stormtrooper uniform. "Huh? Oh, the uniform."

He took off the helmet and said, "I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you."

"Rescue me?"

"I am here with Ben Kenobi's apprentice and your droids. We've got to leave, for enemy troops will be swarming over this place soon."

As soon as Luke and Leia left the cell, they saw Han and Chewbacca rushing towards them while firing back at the Stormtroopers. Although Laura diverted the attention of the Stormtroopers, still some reinforcements had arrived and the fugitives soon found themselves trapped.

"This is some rescue!", Leia said. "When you came in here, didn't you have a plan for getting out?

"He's the brains, sweetheart!", Han said, pointing at Luke.

Before Luke could reply, Leia grabbed his weapon and blast a hole in a nearby hatch.

"What the hell are you doing?!", Han asked.

"Somebody has to save us, boys. Into the garbage chute, flyboy."

One by one, they all leapt in, despite the stench. The shots of the Stormtroopers' blasters were sure persuading in getting them to leap in.


End file.
